Being in my 30’s I had never really thought about osteoporosis, or much to do with my bone health for that matter. I thought this was something we dealt with much, much later in life, so therefore it didn’t affect me. This all changed when my mother was diagnosed with beginning stages of osteoporosis by her doctor due to joint pain she was experiencing, and she’s only in her 60’s.

After much reading, talking with other yoga teachers and personal insight, I found there was a lot one could do to help with this illness that is all to common in our western society. That it is never too late to begin to take control, but the sooner you do, the easier time you will have avoiding this crippling disease. The connection between western science and yoga, these two very different philosophies can be complimentary and not opposites.

Bone Development
Bones are living tissue, in a constant state of renewal and change. Through our lifetime, bone tissue is constantly being replaced in what is known as the bone-remodeling cycle. The earlier you take control of your health the more you can minimize negative effects of change.

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis means “porous bones”. It is a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle, which makes them susceptible to fracture, particularly in the hips, wrists and spine. This is due to two factors, decreased bone mass and quality. If your body can’t find the calcium and minerals it needs, it will begin early withdrawals from the bones to get what it needs.

Around the age of 30, our bodies begin to make more withdrawals from the bone account than deposits. Withdrawals exceed deposits at such a rate, that the skeleton becomes weak and brittle.

This means that the outer shell becomes thinner and the interior becomes more porous, due to the fact that osteoclasts (bone eaters) begin to outnumber osteoblasts (bone builders). Osteoclasts and osteoblasts usually work together to keep the bone strong but light (osteobclasts destroy inside bone, as osteoblasts build bone outside = remodelling of bone). Osteoclasts take the calcium and minerals in the bones and release it into the rest of the body to keep it functioning properly. When the body is lacking in these nutrients and minerals needed to function, it steals more and more from the bones.

Lets compare this process of osteoclasts, osteoblasts and health with the 3 main Hindu deities Brahma the creator, Shiva the destroyer and Vishnu the preserver.

Brahma, in Sanskrit, meaning to grow or to expand and is responsible for creation. Just as the osteoblasts are the creator of bone, Brahma is the creator of life.

Shiva the destroyer is responsible for change both in form of death and destruction and in a positive sense of shedding old habits. Shiva follows Brahma the creator to destroy so that Brahma can again create. This brings balance to the world. If there was only creation by Brahma, life would be overwhelming without the balance of destruction by Shiva.

Compare this to the osteoclasts destroying bone and the osteoblasts creating bone. If the destroyer, osteoclasts did not exists, when osteoblasts created bone the skeleton would become too bulky and unwieldy for us to handle. On the other end, without creation of the osteoblasts, the skeleton would become too weak due to the destruction of the osteoclasts. This is what happens with osteoporosis, destruction is not in balance with creation.

When these two Brahma and Shiva are out of balance, Vishnu the preserver steps in to restore the balance to preserve life. Vishnu is an all pervading power that preserves the universe and maintains cosmic order. In our bodies, nutrition and exercise become the preserver to maintain order in the body. They make it healthy enough to retain the proper amounts of nutrients and minerals so enough calcium can be absorbed to keep the osteoclasts and osteoblasts in balance. This preserver also helps when the natural balance of the body no longer exists and osteoclasts (destroyers) become more active than the osteoblasts (builders).

Nutrition and exercise help slow down the withdrawals from the bone bank account so that bones retain their stability without becoming porous. So the preservation is now to slow down the loss to a point where the bone stays healthy.

So how do we make sure the preserver is working in our lives. We need to look at the factors of why our body changes and we lose bone mass and what we can do about it.

Diet is a major factor as the body needs calcium, including the proper nutrients and minerals to absorb the calcium such as vitamins D, K, C, B6, magnesium, folic acid, copper, zinc, boron, and manganese.

One’s lifestyle has a huge effect on how the body retains its bone strength and density. Things such as smoking, alcohol, medications, poor posture, a lack of exercise, hormonal changes, stress, and disease all take a toll on the body, potentially resulting in the body absorbing less nutrients into the system.

How yoga can help:
Having little or no weight bearing exercise will allow the bones to weaken and become thin.

Exercise applies pressure to bones which causes them to thicken and become stronger and promotes the retention of calcium. Bone, like muscle, is living tissue and responds to exercise by becoming stronger.

This is where yoga asanas (postures) comes in. It is a way to get back what was lost. Yoga asanas are a superb form of weight bearing exercises for all parts of the body. They increase strength and flexibility, which stimulates bone development and builds bone strength both in the upper and lower body.

Yoga, however, is more than just weight bearing exercise; it also de-stresses the body, mind and emotions which promotes hormonal balance that attributes to well-being and health. The asanas improve muscular co-ordination and balance, mental concentration, relaxation and inner peace of mind. Yoga gives your body the chance to relax completely

Here is a yoga routine that will teach you how to de-stress the mind and body, create balance and stability, and give you the weight bearing you need throughout the body to keep the muscles and bones strong and healthy. In this yoga program, we will focus on increasing stability, mobility and bone and muscle strength, and at the same time working on breath to help relax the mind and body helping the neuroendocrine and immune systems.

• Breathe from a place of relaxation
• Viparita Karani (legs up the wall)
• Jathara Parivartasana (Revolved belly) at wall
• Sukhasana with joint freeing series (neck, shoulders, wrists)
• Baddhakonasana (flutter /fwd)
• Bidalasana (Cat)
• Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog)
• Balasana (child)
• Purvottanasana (plank)
• Sphinxasana (Sphinx)
• Balasana (child)
• Tadasana (mountain)
• Quad stretch balance (runners stretch)
• Urdhva Hastasana (arms overhead)(on toes)
• Ardha Chandrasana I (½ moon)
• Trikonasana (triangle)
• Prasarita Padottanasana (wide angle standing forward bend)
• Virabhadrasana II (Warrior I)
• Uttanasana (intense standing forward bend)
• Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Little bridge)
• Janu Mandalasana (Knee circles)
• Savasana (corpse)

To read the full pdf copy including photos of Yoga for Osteoporosis by Anne Cox, please contact info@soyayoga.com